Norman D. Dicks: “I yield myself 6 minutes. First of all, I want to thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Chairman Taylor) for his…”

“I yield myself 6 minutes. First of all, I want to thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Chairman Taylor) for his commendable work for putting together this Interior, Environment and Related Agencies appropriations bill for next year. This bill is basically good, considering the budget allocation that our subcommittee received. As always, the chairman and his staff have included me in the process of putting together the bill, and for that I am very appreciative. Such cooperation is a hallmark of the Interior Subcommittee, and it is the chairman who sets the tone. While the bill we are considering today represents hard work all around, I must note that it falls short of properly funding many programs. The reason for this failure is the inadequate budget allocation we have. The shortfall compared to the 2005 Interior bill adds up to more than $800 million. As you know, this is the first year that the Interior Subcommittee has funded the EPA, and what a challenge it is proving to be with the President's budget proposing a cut of more than $500 million from last year. These are very deep holes to fill. Let me switch to a positive note by praising the decision by the administration and the chairman to fully fund uncontrollable costs such as pay COLAs and rent. Now, this may sound like just a matter of fact, but it makes all of the difference in the world in our national parks on whether they can operate properly.…”